Can opener



Dec.. 14, 93,7- w. E.` v1mi-:SCHBACH 2,102,174

Y CAN OPENER Filed June 15, 195s 2 sheets-sheet 1 41- ram/Ex W. E.-AESCHBACH CAN OPENER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June l5, 1936 v /NVEA/Toe:wan-Er E. ileso/anc# y am Hrrom/EK Patented Dec. 14, 1937 f UNITED'ls'xrATlzs PATIE.NT OFFICE CAN OPENER Waiter E. Aeschbach, St. Louis,Mo. Application .time 15, 1936, serian No. 85,292

9 claims. (orso-s) This invention relates to can openers' of the type inwhich the can is rotated in contact with a cutter after the latter hasbeen caused to punc- -ture the top of the can.

It is the general object of my invention to provide acan opener of thetype described which shall be characterized by extreme simplicity ofconstruction and ease and certainty of operation. The cutter is slidablymounted, and is moved against the resistance of a spring to puncturethe-top of the can by a handle-operated cam bearing on a friction diskmounted on the cutter, the latter also carrying a friction wheel forengaging the usual anged edge formingla raised rim surrounding the topof the can, and a detailed object of the invention is to provide novelmeans for allowing this friction wheel to yield in cases where theraised rim is deeper than usual, and thus avoid crushing or bending therim when the friction wheel is forced into engagement with it at thesame time that the cutter is forced through the top of the can. Anotherdetailed object of the invention is to locate the axis of this frictionwheel to one'side of the vertical plane of the axis of a cooperatingdriving wheel, and, in the 'arrangement shown,

in a direction to remove it farther froma xed can stop than the`.driving wheel, whereby the pressure exerted on the can by the frictionwheel will be applied toone side of the axis of the driving wheel, whichthus acts as a fulcrum, with the result that the can is tilted and itstop forced into, and maintained in engagement with said stop whilethecan is being rotated. This insures a steady and uniform movement of thecan-and` certainty of thecutting operation.

Other features of the invention will be set forth in the course of thedetailed description of .the

invention to follow.

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my improveddevice shown mounted in position on a wall bracket;

Fig. 2 is a view .in side `elevation thereof, the wall bracket beingshown in section;

Fig.,3 is a view in side elevation ofa portion of the device, looking atthe opposite sidethereof to that shown in Fig. 2 and illustrating moreparticularly the spring arrangement for effecting the retractilemovement of the cutter;

Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation of the device viewed from the rightof Figure 2;

Fig. 5 isa sectional detail view taken onvthe line 55 of Figure 2 andviewed in thedirection of the arrows;

55 Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line Ii--6 xofFigure 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrows;

- Fig. 7 is -a view similar to Figure 2 but showing a can, partly brokenaway, in position, the cutter lowered to puncturing position, thefriction wheel in frictional engagement with the rim of the can, andlthe latter being canted thereby to Aforce its Y top into engagement witha fixed stop; and

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 8 8 of Figure 7and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings, the body portion of my improved canopener comprises a flat metal bracket member, I, vertically enlarged, orextended at its .outer end to provide a head, 2, on which is mounted themain operating portions of the device. At its rear end the bracketmember I is bifurcated as indicated at 3, and the metal on oppositesides of the cut bent in opposite directionsat right angles to the bodyI, and on these right angular flanges, il, Figure 1, a iiat metalrectangular plate, 5, is secured by rivets, 6, which plate is adapted tobe insertedinto a wall bracket, 1, having a stop, 8, at its lower end,and thereby place the device in position for operation. The operatingelements of the can opener will now be described. 4

'Ihe numeral 9 indicates a vertically disposed cutter having its lowerend pointed, as indicated at Ill, for puncturing the can; this pointedportion being also beveled to provide a cuttingedge,

'as indicated at II, in Figure 6. The cutter 9 is provided in its upperportion with a vertical slot, I2, and secured in the upper portion ofthe head 2 is a stud, I3, which extends through the slot I2 and isprovided on .its outer end with a head, I4, which is wider than the slotI2, as shown by Figure 2, and engages the outer face of the cutter.VPivotedly mounted on the stud I3 is a cam,

l5, which is provided with a handle, I6, for turning it. A collar, Il,mounted on Stud I3 is interposed between said cam and the cutter 9.Mount` ed in the lower end portion of the cutter 9 is a `shoulderedshaft, I 8, Figures 6 and 8, having on its outer end a head, I9, betweenwhich and the cutter is located a cup-shaped spring member, 20, whichoperatesto hold theshoulder' on the shaft firmly against the inner sideof the blade. Rotatably mounted on the shaft I8 is a friction disk, 2l,which is adapted to be engaged by the cam I5 when the handle I6 isdepressed or brought from the position shown in4 Figure 2 to that shownin Figure 7. In order to permit 'of the downward movement o`f thefriction disk centrally of the gap between the friction wheel cated at22, in Figures 6 and 8, and by dotted lines in Figure 7, and a smallcollar, 23, may be mounted on the shaft to cause the same to move evenlyin the slot 22. The shaft I8 projects through the slot 22 some distancebeyond the,A

inner side of head 22, and is provided adjacent this side of the headwith a circular flange, 24, which is of greater width than the slot, andis also caused to frictionally engage the surface of the head on eitherside of the slot by the c upshaped spring member 420. By this means thecutter and the operating elements therefor are held in relatively fixedrelation to each other. Secured to the inner end of the shaft I8 is acoiled spring, 25, which at its upper end is secured to a stud, 28,which in turn is ilxedly secured in the upper end of head 2. ,When thecutter 9 is lowered by operating the handle I6 to cause its sharpenedcutting edge I0 to puncture the top of the can, as shown in Figures 7and 8, it is necessary to rotate the can against this cutting edge tomake a circular cut in the top of the can. To this end I provide thefollowing mechanism:

Mounted on the lower end of head 2, Figures 4, 6 and 8, is asleeve-bearing, 21,.- in which is mounted a shaft, 28, having secured onits inner end a crank handle, 29, and on its outer end a serrateddriving wheel, 30, the outer face of which is parallel with, butslightly removed from the plane of the inner face of the cutter 8, asshown by Figure 6. Loosely mounted on the shaft I8 immediately above thedriving wheel 30, is a friction wheel, 3| having on one side acircumferential flange, or rim, 32, providing on such side of the wheelacircular recess in-which is housed a relatively thick rubber disk, 33,which is centrally apertured to rotate on the shaft I8. The frictionwheel proper, 3|, is also centrally apertured, as indicated at, 3l, butthis aperture is of considerably greater diameter than the shaft ,I8, sothat, when necessary, the friction wheel may yield, or be displacedbodily, relative to the shaft. I 8, which movement will be permitted bycompression of the rubber disk 83.. Mounted on the head, slightly to therear of the friction wheel 3| is a flxed stopJFlgures 2, 4,- 5 and '7,which is made by securing the upper portion of a strip o f metal, 85, tothe head and bending its lower end portion outward atl right angles toprovide the stop 36.' This stop, as shown by Figures 2 and 4, liessubstantially in a horizontal plane extending 3| and the driving wheel8l.

'Ihe bottom endvof the head 2 is bent outwardly at right angles toprovide a. rest, 31, for the side of the can when the same is positionedin the device for cutting, as shown more particularly in Figure 8. l

Itv is one ofthe features of my invention to cause the can to be canted.so as to force its top at one side into'engagement with the stop 38 whenthe friction wheel 3| is moved downward into engagement with the rim,and this is effected,

as shown more clearly in Figure 7, by positioning the shaft 2l .to oneside 'of the shaft Il, the latter being farther from the side of thestop 38 than the former, and the operation of this -arrangement will beset forth in thel course of the following statement of the operation ofthe entire device.

With the parts in the normal, or inoperative position, shown in Figures2, 4 and 6, the rim.'

I8, of a can, I8, is inserted in the space between the pointed end Il ofthe cutter and the driving wheel 80, with the side of the can bearingagainst the rest 31. While the operator holds the bottom of the can withhis left hand, with the right hand he seizes the lever I6 and turns ittoward him, or to the position shown in Figure '7. In this movement thecam I5 is turned into engagement with the friction disk 2|, which forcesthe blade 9 to be moved downwardly, causing its pointed end to puncturethe top of the can adjacent to the rim 38, and the friction wheel 3| toengage the upper edge of the rim 3 8 of the can. This pressure. onthe'upper edge ofthe rim forces the part of the rim surrounding theupper edge of the can proper, into engagement with the upper side of thedriving wheel 3|).V But as the shaft 28 of this wheel is nearer the stop36 than the shaft 8, or, in other words, is olf center as respects thevertical center of the can, the result wi11`be that the upper side ofdriving wheel 30 serves as a fulcrum, the can being canted by thepressure of the friction wheel on 'its rim to force the top of the caninto engagement with stop 36, as clearly shown in Figure '1. The crankhandle 29 is now turned with result that-,as the driving wheel 3Ilisrotated, the can will be turned causing the cutter to cut through thetop on a line extending around the can adjacent to the rim.-

It will be noted from Figure 2, that in the upper side of the cam l5there is provided a curved recess, 48, and when the cam is turned to theposition, shown in Figure '7, this recess will engage the top of thefriction disk 2| and lock the cam with the blade in the cuttingposition. When the cutting operation has been concluded the operatorraisesthe lever I6, which operation is assisted by the pull of ,spring25, against the resistance of which the cutter had been lowered, and theparts are returned to normal position.

By observing Figure 8, it will be seen that if the rim 38 were somewhathigher than shown, thefriction wheel 3| would engage the rim before thecutter had,4 entirely penetrated the top of the can, and if the frictionwheel lwere immovable, further pressure thereon would crush, or bend,the rim, making it practically impossible to turn the can. With myimprovement, however, when the above condition exists, the frictionwheel 3| can yield, as it is only centered on the shaft I8 by the rubberdisk 33, and as its ,central aperture 3l is considerably larger than theshaft, the rubber disk will be compressed under additional pressure, andthe wheel 3| will then be moved .to an eccentric position relative toits shaft.

The normal distance betweenthe inner face of the cutter and the outerface of the driving wheel, as shown byl Figure 6, is very slight andwhen the cutter is forced downward to puncture the can, as shown inFigure 8, the cup-shaped spring, 20, permits the cutter to yieldlaterally, so that the rim plus the side of the 'can can be accommodatedbetween the face of the driving wheel. Thus, the can Awill be firmlyclamped between thesemembers.

l. In a can opener, in combination with a support, a driving wheelrotatably mounted in fixed position 'directly thereon, a cutter slidablymounted on the support, a friction wheel, positioned above said-drivingwheel, and a contact member carried Aby the cutter, a handle-operatedcam pivotally mounted on said support and adapted to be turned intoengagement with said contact member-to force said cutter and friction.

vamarre 3 wheel downward, whereby a can having its rim inserted betweenthe two wheels will be punctured by the cutter and have the under sideof its rim forced into engagement with said driving wheel by engagementof the friction wheel with the upper edge cf said rim, and means'forrotating said driving wheel to cause it to rotate the i tion wheeldownward, whereby a can having its rim yinserted between the two wheelswill be punctured by the cutter and have the under side of its rimforced into engagement with said driving wheel by engagement of thefriction wheel with the upper edge of said rim, and means for rotatingsaid driving wheel to cause it to `rotate the top of the can againstsaid cutter.

3. In a can opener, in combination with a support having a slot, adriving wheel rotatably mounted in fixed position directly thereon, astud mounted on said support, a cutter having slotted engagement withsaid stud, a shaft carried by said cutter and projecting through saidslot, a friction wheel and a friction disk mounted on saidv shaft, ahandle-operated cam pivotally mounted on said stud and adapted to beturned into engagement with said contact member toA force said cutterand friction wheel downward, whereby a can having its rim insertedbetween the two wheels will be punctured bythe cutter and have the underside of its rim forced intov engagement with said driving wheelbyengagev of said rim, means for rotating said driving wheel ment of thefriction wheel with' the upper edge to cause it to rotatethe top of thecan against said cutter, and a coiled spring connected at its lower endto the projectingend of said shaft and i at its upper end to saidsupport 4. In a can opener, in combination with a support, a drivingwheel rotatably mounted in fixed position directly thereon, a cutterslidably mounted on the support, a friction Wheel, positioned abovesaid-driving wheel, and a contact 'member, carried bythe cutter, ahandle-oper-v ated cam,v having a recess in its periphery, pivotallymounted on said support and adapted to be turned into engagement withsaid contact member to force said cutter and friction wheel downward,and to have said recess engage the contact member at the limit of saiddownward movement to lock the parts in such position, said wheels beingadapted tovgrip the rim of a can 'inserted between them and the cutterbeing adapted to puncture the Itop of the can so positioned when it isforced downward, and means for rotating said driving wheel to cause itto rotate the top of the can against said cutter.

5. In a can opener, in combination with a support, a driving wheelrotatably mounted in fixed position directly thereon, a cutter slidablymounted on the support, a fixed stop 'mounted on said support to oneside of said cutter, a friction wheel, positioned above said drivingwheel,.

and a contact member carried by the cutter, a handle-operated campivotally mounted on said support and adapted to be turned intoengageme'nt with said contact member to force said cutter and frictionwheel downward, whereby a can having its rim inserted between the twowheels will be punctured by the cutter and have its under side of itsrim forced into engagement with said driving wheel by engagement of thefriction wheel with the upper edge of said rim, and means for rotatingsaid driving wheel to cause it to rotate the top of the can against saidcutter.

6. In a. can opener, in combination with a support, a driving wheelrotatably mounted in fixed position directly thereon, a cutter slidablymounted on the support, a fixed stop mounted on the support to one sideof said cutter, a friction wheel and a contact member carried by thecutter, the friction wheel being located immediately above the drivingwheel and having its axis located to one side of the vertical plane ofward, whereby a can having its rim inserted between the two wheels willbe punctured by the cutter and have the under side of its rim forcedinto engagement with said driving wheel by engagement of the frictionwheel with the upper edge of said rim, causing .the can to be canted toforce its top into engagement with said stop, and means for rotatingsaid driving wheel to cause it to rotate the top of the can against saidcutter.

'7. In a can opener, in combination with a support, a driving wheelrotatably mounted in fixed position directly thereon, a cutter slidablymounted on the support, a fixed stop mounted on the support to one sideof said cutter, a shaft carriedv by said cutter and projecting, througha slotiin said support, a friction wheel and a friction disk mounted onsaid shaft, the friction wheel being located immediately above thedriving wheel and having its axis located to one side of the verticalplane of the axis of the driving wheel in a directionv away from saidstop, a coiled spring secured at its lower end to theprojecting end ofsaid shaft and at its upper end. to said support, a handle-operated campivotally mounted on said support and adapted to be turned intoengagement with said friction disk to force said cutter andfriction'wheel downward against the resistance of said spring, whereby acan having its rim inserted between the two wheels will be punctured bythe cutter and have the under side of its rim forced into engagementwith said driving wheell by engagement of the friction wheel with theupper edge of said rim, causing the canto be canted fo force its topinto engagement with said stop,

and means for rotating said driving wheel to cause it to rotate the topof the can against said cutter.

8. In a can opener, in combination with a support, a driving wheelrotatably mounted thereon, a cutter slidably mounted on the support, ashaft carried by said cutter, a friction wheel and a disk tion wheeldownward, whereby a can having its rim inserted between the two wheelswill be punctured by the cutter and have the under side of its rimforced into engagement with said driving wheel by yieldable engagementof the friction wheel with the upper edge of said rim, and means forrotating said driving wheel to cause it to rotate the top of the canagainst said cutter.

9. In a can opener, in combination with a support, a driving Wheelrotatably mounted in xed position directly thereon, a cutter slidablymounted on the support, a shouldered shaft carried by said cutter andprojecting through a slot in support, a friction wheel and a frictiondisk mounted on said shaft, the friction wheel being located immediatelyabove the driving wheel, a coiled spring secured at its` lower end tothe projecting end of said shaft and at its upper end tol said support,a collar on the projectingportion of said shaft bearing against the sideof said support, a cup-shaped spring mounted on the opposite end of saidshaft and bearing against the side of said cutter and operating to holdthe shoulder of said shaft against the side of said cutter, ahandle-operated cam pivotally mounted on said support and adapted to beturned, into engagement with said friction disk to force said cutter andfriction wheel downward, and means for rotating said driving wheel.

WALTER E. AESCHBACH.

